Coenzyme Q10

Abstract

• Food sources - meat and fish products, lesser amounts in broccoli, cauliflower, nuts, spinach, soya • Deficiency states - fatigue, muscle aches, chronic gum disease. Also associated with congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, hyperthyroidism, breast cancer • Indications - cardiovascular health. Some evidence suggests a role in migraine, Huntingdon's chorea, mitochondrial myopathy, CoPD, periodontal disease and slowing progression of Parkinson's disease • Products - tablet, capsule, drops, gel, gum, soft gel • Therapeutic dosage: o Congestive heart failure, hypertension, performance enhancement, neurological or periodontal disease: 100-150 mg/day o Pre-cardiac surgery: 100-300 mg/day for 2 weeks presurgery, 100 mg/day 1 month post-surgery o Angina pectoris: 60-600 mg/day o CoPD: 50-90 mg/day o Huntingdon's chorea: 600 mg/day o Migraine: 150-300 mg/day o Parkinson's disease: <12,000 mg/day • Contradindications/precautions - safe and well tolerated but safety in pregnancy not established. Doses>200 mg/day may lead to dizziness, GI discomfort, photophobia, irritability and skin rash in <1% of patients • Interactions - statins, betablockers, clonidine, gemfibrozil, hydralazine, hydrochlorothiazide, methyldopa and tricyclics antidepressants may reduce serum coQ10 levels. Patients on concomitant warfarin should be montitored. CoQ.10 supplementation may reverse side-effects associated with statins.